The Shifting the GOP from Moderate to Conservative

Marc Fisher of the Washington Post points out specifics in the shift the of Republican party over the years. In 1976 the GOP puts an abortion plank in its platform due to conservative demands. Lower taxes is not emphasized until the 1980s. Questions of faith don’t come into until the 1990s.

What does remain consistent for the GOP is its business orientation and a belief in a strong defense. But on other issues it has changed significantly. A half century ago Republicans were socially moderate, pro environment, fiscally cautious. Now it appears to be antigovernment and definitely aligned with the extreme religious right. The Tea Party has pushed it hard to the right fiscally even to reconsidering the gold standard. They talk about strong constitutional conformity but interpret that along very narrow and vested interest guidelines.

The new GOP wants to transform Medicare from an entitlement program to a personal account system; a bonanza for insurance interests. They want more coal usage and other fossil fuels. Even house speaker John Boehner does not believe his peers have ever even read the Republican platform. They should because they point to where the party is headed.

During George H.W. Bush administration Republicans were concerned about global warming and committed billions to find solutions; now they doubt its scientific certainty.

For years Republicans were moderates and even included progressives and saw their role in government as a major employer. In 1972 when Keynesian economics were a given for both parties they saw the need to use wage and price controls to regulate inflation and doubled federal spending and tripled help to minorities. Until the 80’s they believed in federal funding for public transport before seeing as a villain to the automotive industry. In the 70s the platform gave strong support to equal rights for women. In the 60s they supported salaries for government workers to be comparable to private industry but now want to slash their wages. They supported unions and immigrants. They supported desegregation and civil rights.

If you looked at the platform of the GOP in 1968 from today’s perspective most would think it would be the Democrats platform dealing with issues of air and water pollution, slum problems, discrimination against minorities and the government’s role in dealing with social problems. They wanted to expand Social Security.

We can see seeds of the change as far back as the Goldwater years but the major shift was in place by the Reagan era. In 1992 they stressed “family values” as though the Democrats were against them. Enemy thinking emerged with groups like the media, academics, pushing the idea that Democrats were against “American” values. And then comes all the furor about same sex marriages and bans of homosexuals in the military.

The Republican Party today is not your parents or grandparents Republican party. All you have to do is look at the history. At the same time we see the shifts in the Democratic party which has also become much more conservative in its approach to national issues. The great progressives, liberals (proponents of freedom and liberty if you understand the word liberal) seem to be a lost generation. When we faced very similar issues that we face today, concentration of wealth among the few and a hurting middle class and desperation of the poor, the lions of liberality such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt stepped to the fore with the support of moderate Republicans and developed programs to get the country up and running, strengthened the middle class, provided safety nets for the poor and ushered in an era when all enjoyed the productivity and wealth of the nation. That vision was maintained by Republican leadership in the Eisenhower years as Republicans and Democrats worked together to continue to develop the nation’s infrastructure for the good of all. Ike was the one who warned about the industrial-military complex that needed to be well regulated so the nation could remain strong and serve the entire populace. We certainly need to heed his words today as the Super PACs and the like seem bent to drag us back to depression times.

Today’s GOP just reminds me of the Republican senator from Iowa of my youth (Chuck Grassley’s predecessor and mentor) Senator H.R. Gross who had the most consistent voting record of any member of congress ever. He just voted no on everything.